‘Underselling’ yourself is detrimental to your career and can be as damaging as ‘overselling’.

Following on from my post of last week, I received a pertinent comment regarding the benefit of a “pre-review review”.

I love the idea of a pre-review review. There is a risk that it becomes adversarial with both sides defending entrenched positions if left until after the disappointing raise.

The comment went on to say that, I'm sure often employers don't think about it much: they just add a bit to the previous year's salary rather than deliberately deciding to keep people on the cheap.”

That is to say that employers don’t mean to under-pay, but that they are not prepared. I think this is a rather generous perspective; after all, if the employee is over-delivering, fully prepared and up to speed, the least one can do as a line manager is come prepared, having looked at and discussed salary and other issues in detail.

A client of mine was preparing for his annual review. He had significantly over-delivered in the previous year and was looking to set himself up for a successful year ahead. He wanted to be appropriately rewarded, yet did not want to be perceived as a ‘moaner’. We worked on ensuring his mindset was optimal. He agreed to deliver his message with accuracy and conviction, and to be firm in order to achieve the pay increase he was expecting.

We used the following message that we felt was a win/win situation for both him and his line manager:

My request is to have an £xxxK basic for the next financial year. In addition, I believe there is some scope for reducing my target, so I’d like my increase reduced from xx% to xx%, making it £xxK per quarter. That would incentivise and motivate me to succeed, ensuring that I qualify for the High Flyers Club next year. This would be in the company’s interests as it ensures targets are more likely to be reached.

The line-manager’s likely objections/questions could be:

· What do you want me to do about it?

· This is not standard practice in our business.

· You have never mentioned your ambitions to qualify for the Highflyers.

The net result of this was a 15% base increase (significantly higher than his peers), and his target increase was reduced as requested.

This advice is a just a sample of the value I can add. In partnership with Lisa Akesson, a World Class Voice & Presentation Skills Coach, we are offering a two half-day virtual course on “Impactful Negotiations for Women”, where we will be tailoring this methodology to the specific needs of the participants. Why not join us?

Learning how to negotiate effectively is such a worthwhile investment. It is an evergreen skill that you can use on a weekly basis to enhance your career, life and even the lives of your family and loved ones.

· Imagine being able to negotiate the job you want at the level of appropriate reward.

· Imagine confidently asking for that seat at the table and being given it.

· Imagine negotiating the resources you need to help your team function better.

Lisa and I have enabled many of our clients to achieve positive career results with confidence and our partnership brings a blend of unique skills. Lisa will enable you to take your space, own your voice, build rapport and communicate your needs in a negotiation with gravitas and personal power. I will help transform your negotiation mindset, results, and income. I regularly achieve significant increases in my clients’ income levels.

And remember, with every negotiation you enter, be it large or small, you are building a muscle and a skill that will serve you for life.

Drop a line in the comments section or a personal message ([email protected]) if you are interested. I will then send you the details of our programme.